SOME 54 black-and-white and handcoloured prints by photographers Lim Hock Seng, Md Yusoff Othman, Syed Zainal Rashid and Arthur Teng are on display in the 4 Dimension — A Group of Photography Exhibition at NN Gallery Sdn Bhd till Aug 31. Each artists has submitted 17 works for the showcase.

Organised as part of the Kuala Lumpur International Photography Biennale 2005 (KLiP), the inaugural and unique exposition features more than 200 participating photographers and 20 exhibitions in various galleries till October.

"Conceptually and technically, their works vary from one other," said curator-NN Gallery owner Syed Nabil Syed Nahar.

The works of Yusoff, who is synonymous with his river series, reflects beauty at its most natural form. On view are works that boast great details of rock and life forms by the river edge.

"Technically, Yusoff adopted double exposure photography and as a result, you get more white than black in the background," explained Syed Nabil.

Lim presents romantic ideals common to paintings at the showcase. A founding member of the Silver Gelatin Group, his collection of black-and-white still-life gives attention to detail, and subtleties and nuances. Lettuce by the Sink and Air on Strings are two of his compositions that boast lyrical and poetic undertones.

Teng, a graphic designer with Sime Darby Bhd, enjoys "making something beautiful out of nothing".

He has won acclaim for his works and has represented Malaysia in exhibitions around Asia. His forte is in perspective, giving his pictures a spatial quality and depth, using only analogue.

Syed Zainal’s focal point is documenting events and places. Using a collage effect, his works draw perspective from different views. His rich tapestry of images allows for a unique style of photo-documentation, narratives, stories and expressions of people.

This is the second time NN Gallery is hosting an exhibition of this nature, the first being Time Traces, which featured works by veteran lensman Eric Peris and his counterpart Alex Moh two years ago.

Syed Nabil said NN Gallery has been instrumental in supporting the growth of photography in the country.

"My aspiration is for photography works to be recognised on a larger scale and eventually flourish into an avant garde art," said Syed Nabil, who runs the gallery with his sister Sharifah Nor Akma.

While he lauded the success of KLiP Biennale for creating a platform for practitioners to showcase their works, he wants to see the event expand in the future with involvement from not just budding or professional photographers in the central region but also the various galleries around the country,

He said there’s a growing interest in photography among the younger breed of photo collectors.

"Apart from local enthusiasts, we also get a lot of foreigners dropping by at the gallery."

The photographs are available for sale at between RM900 and RM3,200.



Viewing hours: 9am-6pm (daily except Sundays and public holidays). Admission is free. Call 03-4270-6588, fax 03-4270-3357 or go to www.nngallery.com.my.